Cory Monteith

Update: Cory Monteith died tragically in a hotel room in Vancouver, Canada. He was 31. Though Cory had completed a month in rehab just weeks before, he seemed to be doing well, and was expected to return to Los Angeles for Glee filming later that week. On July 16, his cause of death was confirmed to be an overdose from a mixture of heroin and alcohol, but Vancouver Police investigation reveals it to be an accidental overdose. Our hearts go out to Cory, his family, and his co-star girlfriend, Lea Michele (Rachel).

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta, Canada (grew up in Victoria, British Columbia) Recently lived in: Los Angeles Education: Dropped out of school in 9th grade. Of school, he has said, "It wasn't for me. I can remember ever since about the sixth or seventh grade, I just didn't understand why I had to learn what I was learning. For some reason, there was a spirit of rebellion in me."Twitter: CoryMonteith

Unlike many of his Glee co-stars, Cory didn't jazz-hands his way straight from Broadway to the set of the hit TV show. Before becoming an actor, he held a number of odd jobs, including Wal-Mart greeter, school bus driver, roofer, and cab driver. Once he quit the promising world of unskilled labor, he landed several small-screen and film roles. He nabbed a lead role on the MTV series Kaya, a recurring role on Kyle XY, and guest appearances on Smallville, Supernatural, Stargate SG-1, Flash Gordon, and Interns. Quite the sci-fi resume for someone who didn't get past the ninth grade! His film credits include Final Destination 3, The Invisible, Deck the Halls, and Whisper.